[Infowarrior] - Trump to tap Coats for National Intelligence Director: reports

[Richard Forno]

Trump to tap Coats for National Intelligence Director: reports

By Katie Bo Williams - 01/05/17 03:26 PM EST

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/312903-trump-to-tap-coats-for-national-intelligence-director

Trump will name former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats to lead the nation’s sprawling intelligence community, according to multiple reports Thursday.

The mild-mannered Republican, who did not seek reelection in November, was a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The news comes as rumors swirl that Trump is weighing dismantling the very agency he has now reportedly tapped Coats to lead, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

The ODNI oversees the 16 agencies that make up the so-called Intelligence Community.
Created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the agency is tasked with smoothing information flow between the agencies and preventing important data from being siloed.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday denied a report by The Wall Street Journal claiming Trump was considering paring back the agency, calling it "100 percent false." 

"All transition activities are for information-gathering purposes and all discussions are tentative," he added. 

Coats will need to win approval from the Senate.